410. for quail?

[uplander13]

hey there everyone im new to huntingnet.com just finished my first season and on my last day the girlfriend came along to walk it she was in to so we went to the shooting range later that day and well the 12 gauge was a little rough on her so she shot a 410 loved it could she use this for quail?

[MosesLakehunter]

Sure you can use a .410 for quail. It takes a great deal of skill to hit one of those fast little guys with a .410 but it should work.

[kdvollmer]

there are a couple ways to look at it. Me personally, I suggest a 20 ga for your Girlfriend. As stated above, quail are small, and fast, and a .410 is not alot of shot to hit them with. IT is said often to not start a new hunter on a .410 for this reason. Less shot, harder to hit the target = less fun. A 20 on the other hand, is light recoiling, and has killed many many many quial, ducks pheasant....etc

Now, i was home on leave in November and had a chance to shoot some quail with a friend of mine. His grandson, maybe 10 years old carried a small single shot .410 and killed plenty of birds with it. I was truly impressed as I have met several experienced bird hunters that have been shooting for years that won't carry a .410 to the field to hunt.

Take your pick, but I suggest a 20

Good Luck

[uplander13]

thanks guys now to see ifshes for the idea of a 20gauge

[cahansen2004]

410 will work fine. at least getting her feet wet. I have kill a lot when I started as a kid with my 410. If she likes it gives her a reason to buy a 20 ga or even a 12 or both. look at this wayif you get married to her you will endupwith all of her guns as well in the gun cabinet.

[kdvollmer]

there is truth to all that cahansen, but I would do it the other way around. Start with the 20, then move to the .410 later. It can be discouraging for somebody not used to hunting and shooting to use a .410 and not be as successful with it. Like we have both stated, oyu can kill with it, but the 20 would be a better choice for a new BIRD hunter. The .410 is a great starter gun for tree rats and bunnies though.

[catchemrob]

I use a double barrel .410 with high valc. shells works great. I worked my way down from a 8ga. not to much meat left after. LOL

[BigJ71]

I posted this response in the ".410 for Pheasant" threadbut it applies to Quail as well. While Quail may be smaller and easier to kill, theyfly muchfaster and your problem will be with shot distance not bird toughness. Good dogs will make quail hunting a joy as they will get them to stay froze in their coveysuntil theybust....... with you in close proximity for easy shots.

Here's what I wrote:

Using a .410 for Pheasant is no problem at all....But there are some guidelines (I've found) that should be followed in order to do so.

The first thing that I recommend is, your .410 should have 3in chambers. This will allow you (obviously) to use 3in shells loaded with 11/16oz of lead #5 or#6 shot and put you at about 1200fps in velocity.

Next you should keep your shots close, under 35yds. Hunting with good dogs this caneasily be done.

I hunted all year with a s/s .410 and it was a blast! It's very light and points easy. I didn't see any difference in my shots than when I use my 20ga.

Now, that being said, I don't think I would try it if I could only shoot 2 3/4 shells, just not enough lead IMHO. The 3in on the other hand as stated, have 11/16oz of lead, that'sjust about the same as a standard 3/4oz 20ga and folks have been killing pheasants for years with that set up.

Good 3in chambered .410, good 3in 11/16oz shells, keep your shots close and have fun!

[kdvollmer]

Though I have seen young hunters kill quail with a .410, and it will get it done, i still recommend a 20 ga. It will be better suited for the job. Not much more recoil, and more lead. Better chance to hit and kill quail. Not to mention, if you ever take her pheasant hunting it will be fine for that as well. LOTS of pheasants are taken with a 20 ga.


Good Luck

[ukhunter]

definatly a 20g for quail is probably best for a novice but a 410 takes the sport up to a new level on the small quail, prob best to get her to try out both guns and see where she gets on best.